So according to Marc Gunn‘s Dragon*Con profile, he calls himself the “Celtfather”  Celtic music is Marc Gunn’s deal.  If you like Celtic music, read on.  If not, well, I’m guessing you don’t frequent the Pern or Filk or Tolkien tracks at Dragon*Con.   I don’t like Celtic music.  I’m just going to put that out there.

Did you watch the Opening Ceremonies of the London Olympics?  I did!  I loved it, despite people being all “WAH IT WASN’T BEIJING,” which, hello, nothing can be Beijing, and also it was SO. BRITISH in all the best ways.  I also really loved when the children’s choirs from the England., Wales, Scotland, and Ireland sang traditional songs from their countries.  Marc Gunn does a bit of this–the difference is, I don’t tear up with emotion (the children, guys, the children all united!) when Marc Gunn sings “Danny Boy.”

I am really into neo-folk music: Fleet Foxes, Joanna Newsom, Decemberists, Beirut.  But these all have a bit of winky irony to them, and also move forward with their genre.  Marc Gunn is firmly–from what I can tell, correct me if I am wrong as I am literally being introduced to his music today–in the un-ironic, actual folk-song camp.  I mean, check out this video: the long hair and the pirates and the kilts and the autoharp (which makes me think of the incomparable Catherine O’Hara in A Mighty Wind).

Guys, it is so Ren Fest!  And this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, if you like that, but I can only do it in very small doses.  So here is another small dose:

Okay so that was about cats.  I like cats.  I don’t think I liked that?

One more, just to see if I can handle it:

So that’s from Dragon*Con 2011 and, um…no, no I still don’t like it.  I take back my earlier statement about him not having any irony–I think it is there, it just isn’t really my kind of irony.  Or sarcasm.  I like things with snark and no, there’s no snark here.  He has a nice voice, and he’s clearly good at what he does, but it just isn’t for me at all.

Talking points:

–A man and his autoharp

—Utilikilt

–Celtfather

Two thumbs down.  I’m sorry, Marc Gunn, I am sure you have a very large following, I’m just not going to be a part of it.